Description
This module will focus on the international law of trade, and in particular the rules of the World Trade Organisation. The WTO Agreements govern international trade in goods, services and intellectual property, and play a key role in the governance of the international economy. They include rules on, amongst other matters, market access, discrimination, subsidies, anti-competitive practices, product regulation, food safety, and the interaction of trade rules with environmental, cultural and moral values. We will consider each of these areas, aiming both to understand the rules, and to consider whether they strike the right balance between the competing values in each area. The WTO rules have pervasive effects on economic development, on individuals' lives, and on states' freedom to pursue their goals. They have also been the subject of extensive public and political criticism since their inception. It is therefore important to understand both the effects those rules have, and also whether they could or should be otherwise.
